TY - JOUR
T1 - Mentalization and relationships with parents as predictors of eating disordered behavior
AU - Rothschild-Yakar, Lily
AU - Levy-Shiff, Rachel
AU - Fridman-Balaban, Rachel
AU - Gur, Eitan
AU - Stein, Daniel
PY - 2010/7
Y1 - 2010/7
N2 - Our study postulated that deficient mentalization abilities and maladaptive relationships with parents may be risk factors in the genesis of eating disorder (ED). The study examined 34 female inpatients with anorexia nervosa-binging/purging type and 35 matched non-ED controls. Data indicated that anorexia nervosa-binging/purging type patients presented significantly lower mentalization levels and reported significantly lower quality of current relationships with their parents, compared with non-ED controls. The combination of the mentalization and relationship quality variables showed an additive effect for some ED-related symptoms but not others. Moreover, high mentalization reduced ED symptomatology even if relationship quality with parents was deficient. Findings supported the role of low mentalization as a risk factor, and of high mentalization as a protective factor, in the formation of ED.
AB - Our study postulated that deficient mentalization abilities and maladaptive relationships with parents may be risk factors in the genesis of eating disorder (ED). The study examined 34 female inpatients with anorexia nervosa-binging/purging type and 35 matched non-ED controls. Data indicated that anorexia nervosa-binging/purging type patients presented significantly lower mentalization levels and reported significantly lower quality of current relationships with their parents, compared with non-ED controls. The combination of the mentalization and relationship quality variables showed an additive effect for some ED-related symptoms but not others. Moreover, high mentalization reduced ED symptomatology even if relationship quality with parents was deficient. Findings supported the role of low mentalization as a risk factor, and of high mentalization as a protective factor, in the formation of ED.
KW - Eating disorders
KW - mentalization
KW - reflective function
KW - relationships with parents
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77954629677&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/NMD.0b013e3181e526c8
DO - 10.1097/NMD.0b013e3181e526c8
M3 - Article
C2 - 20611053
AN - SCOPUS:77954629677
SN - 0022-3018
VL - 198
SP - 501
EP - 507
JO - Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
JF - Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
IS - 7
ER -